Every year Open Doors ministries publishes its World Watch List. It’s a list of the countries with the most intense persecution of Christians. For eight years in a row North Korea continues to be at the top.

North Korean bans all religious expression except for the personality cult centered around its brutal dictator, Kim Jong-Il.

Eight of the countries on the list are Muslim countries, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Maldives, Afghanistan, Yemen, the east African country of Mauritania, and Uzbekistan.

These nations all enforce Islamic, Sheriah law which punishes any Muslim who converts to Christianity with death.

Nearly 100 million Christians are persecuted for their faith every year. This includes interrogation, imprisonment, torture, and even death, while many others face discrimination and alienation.